Distributor for blast furnaces



March 12, 1929. H, L, WETHERBEE v 1,704,715 i DISTRIBUTOR FOR BLAST FURNACES Filed June 27. 1927 'lilik/1,17

'dotted lines in said'ligure.

liliel" coivrnn'r, 'on CHICAGO, immers,

A Conronarron or Marian.

DISTRUTOR FOB BLAST FRNACES.

.application 1edJJune27, 1927. Serial No. 201,952.

The present invention relates to `distrib'- utors for blast furnaces.v

ln the charging of blast furnaces it is a problem to distribute the material uniformly throughout tne periphery of the furnace.

i-'in object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple Y mechanism whereby an improved distribution will be had in a blast furnace.

rllhe further object is to provide distributing means for a blast furnace which is adaptable to furnaces as at present designed and which presents very little likelihood of getting out of order.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal. section of one embodiment of the present invention.

F ig. 2 is a top plan View on a reduced scale of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

F ig. 3 is alongitudinal section view taken along the plane indicated by the arrow 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a slight modification;

Numeral 10 indicates the upper portion a-blast furnace, which portion is provided with the large charging bell 11 and the small charging bell 12. Said bells 11 and 12 do not depart from present practice, and the means for operating said bells need not be described herein.

Disposed above the small bell 12 is the cylindrical portion 13, which, wit-h the Small bell 12, is termed herein, the small bell hopper, Said cylindrical portion 13 has co1nmunicating therewith the revolving distrib-V utor 14, which distributor, as shown in F i gures 2 and 4 is circular in plan view.

Disposed above the distributor 14 is the hopper 15, the upper portion of which may be elongated as shown in Figures 2 and 4 for the accommodation of a pair of skips 1li-.16,

one of which is indicated in full lines in Fig.V

1, and the other of which is indicated in In accordance with the common practice, said skips will dump alternately into the hopper 15. Said hopper 15 is provided with the sloping bottom walls 17 for directing material to the revolving distributor 14.l f p As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the distributor 14 is of conical formation and is provided on its inner side with vanes 181-18. Y

Secured to the outer side of distributor 14 is the gear member 19, which may have thereof.

bearing engagement with a castingv20, supported at theupper extremity of the cylindrical member 13. Said gear member 19 may lbe driven bythe pinion 21, which pinion is driven by the motor 22. ,Y

According to the embodiment of the pres-A ent invention shownin Figures 1 and 2, the distributor'14has a bottom aperture of vary- King diameter, whereby material deposited" upon said distributor 14 will be depositedat varying distancelfrom axis of the furnace 10 as the distributor revolves. Y

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, shown iny Fig. 4,v the bottom aperture of distributor 14 iS roundf, The shape of the bottom aperture will be chosen accordingrto the nature of the materials to be handled. f v ln explanation of the present invention'it may be pointed out that when niaterialis discharged from a skip, the line particles tend to segregate themselves from the larger i particles Von theirway to the small bell. rlhe ne particles drop into the near side of the small bell hopper and the coarse material shoots over, filling the far side. Since most furnaces are filled from one side with one or two skips-the result Vin a non-revolving small bell hopperis to fill up one side of theV furnacel with dense material (fine particles), while the coarse material covers the rest of the area. rlhis results in channeling, causing uneven smelting action. il] here the small bell hopper is caused Vto revolve with a stepv by step movement before successive dum]L ings of the bell, there are lined places where the line particles will be dumped, givingthem a spiral formation throughout the furnace charge.

According to the-present invention, however, the line particles are. distributed all Y, around the small bell 12, giving an even distribution around the furnace. By reason of the structure shown in Fig'. 2 in which the bottom apertureof the distributor 14fh'as a cam shaped outline, the distribution of fine particles is rendered relatively uniformfrom the axis of the small bell to the periphery It Will be clear that the distributor may be revolved by means of the motor v22, While material is being dumped from either of the skips 16. Said motor'may be started automatically by means operating in conjunction vrapid wearv of thelining and tending toward l with the skip mechanism vso as to begin inotionrbefore Va skip begins to discharge and may be stopped automatically When the skip has discharged;

Thoughv certain preferred embodiments which is cain shaped in plan, said distributor of the present invention have been described in detail, many modifications will occur tov It is intendedV to' those skilled inthe art. cover all such modiiications that fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: l. Ina blast furnace in combination a revolving distributor havingthe shape of a wvhic'h is cani shaped in plan.

2. In a blast 'furnace in combination a i'evolving` distributor having lthe shape of a truncated cone, the" discharge aperture of being provided on its inner side With vanes for causing` material deposited on said dis tributor to revolve with said distributor.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this Qatth day of June, i927.

HARRY L. Wniiiniisnn 

